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Preparing for the NCAA Tournament is like drinking out of a firehose. We get 68 teams announced in a matter of minutes on Selection Sunday. Then comes all the preview content, which you can (and should) read to your heart’s content … or at least to as much as your brain can handle.

Want breakdowns of all 68 squads? We have them. Want expert picks? We have them. Want upset trends? We have them. Want Cinderellas? We have them.

Whether you’ve watched a ton of college hoops or none at all, it’s still too much to fully comprehend. You can break down every single angle, analyze every stat, watch every second of film … and still get it wrong. They call it “madness” for a reason.

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No matter your approach, you have to make your picks at some point before things tip off. And while those first-round calls can be tough — for that I recommend Isaac Trotter’s excellent breakdown of every matchup — and may have you second-guessing, you’ll get through it. I promise.

I like to let things settle until well after Selection Sunday. After all, a “First Four” team advances to the second round almost every year, so those games are very much worth assessing. So now that that’s over, I have to stop worrying, stop second-guessing, stop seeking out even more information (though there’s plenty). We have deadlines, after all.

So it boils down to this: one sentence for all 63 picks in my bracket. Last year went pretty well despite tournament-wide wildness.

Let’s do it.

First round

South

• No. 1 Auburn over No. 16 Alabama State: UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson aren’t getting any company.
• No. 9 Creighton over No. 8 Louisville: Ryan Kalkbrenner is as good as it gets, and he lifts the Bluejays here.
• No. 5 Michigan over No. 12 UC San Diego: The Wolverines’ gigantic frontcourt will dominate this one.
• No. 13 Yale over No. 4 Texas A&M: The Bulldogs shoot the daylight out from 3 while the Aggies shoot like there is no daylight, and Yale rebounds well enough to hang in that aspect.
• No. 6 Ole Miss over No. 11 North Carolina: The Tar Heels are the popular pick here after a strong finish and a First Four bludgeoning of San Diego State, but the Rebels have a ton of experience and versatile scoring.
• No. 3 Iowa State over No. 14 Lipscomb: It wasn’t pretty down the stretch for the Cyclones, but they’ll be just fine here.
• No. 7 Marquette over No. 10 New Mexico: In an excellent guard battle between Kam Jones and Donovan Dent, Marquette’s supporting pieces, led by David Joplin, are the difference.
• No. 2 Michigan State over No. 15 Bryant: Expect a lot of points … and Michigan State to have the majority of them.

2025 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions: Picks, scouting reports for all first-round games (and upsets, too)

East

• No. 1 Duke over No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s: UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson aren’t getting any company.
• No. 9 Baylor over No. 8 Mississippi State: Guards win in March, and Baylor simply has more of them than Mississippi State does, plus it has Norchad Omier.
• No. 5 Oregon over No. 12 Liberty: Dana Altman has never lost a first-round game with the Ducks.
• No. 4 Arizona over No. 13 Akron: For all of the Arizona’s backcourt prowess, it’s big man Henri Veesaar and the frontcourt that will lead the way in this one.
• No. 11 VCU over No. 6 BYU: The Rams are experienced, skilled and deep, and their defense has the tools to limit the Cougars’ explosive attack.
• No. 3 Wisconsin over No. 14 Montana: These aren’t your father’s Badgers. They can really shoot it from 3.
• No. 7 Saint Mary’s over No. 10 Vanderbilt: The Gaels have lost just twice in 2025, and their excellent defense is a huge reason why.
• No. 2 Alabama over No. 15 Robert Morris: The Tide roll with pace, space and a lot of Mark Sears.

Midwest

• No. 1 Houston over No. 16 SIUE: UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson aren’t getting any company.
• No. 8 Gonzaga over No. 9 Georgia: Gonzaga is a top-10 team nationally according to KenPom but managed just an 8 seed, and it’ll show why that was way too low.
• No. 5 Clemson over No. 12 McNeese: The Tigers made the Elite Eight last year, and with plenty of pieces back from that run, they start another one here.
• No. 4 Purdue over No. 13 High Point: Trey Kaufman-Renn dominates.
• No. 11 Xavier over No. 6 Illinois: The Musketeers have a major experience advantage, and they carry their momentum from an impressive First Four comeback.
• No. 3 Kentucky over No. 14 Troy: The Wildcats just have too many scoring options.
• No. 7 UCLA over No. 10 Utah State: The Bruins’ offense is hit-or-miss, but their excellent defense forces a ton of turnovers … and leads them to a win here.
• No. 2 Tennessee over No. 15 Wofford: The Volunteers are simply too disciplined and too good for a letdown.

West

• No. 1 Florida over No. 16 Norfolk State: UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson aren’t getting any company.
• No. 8 UConn over No. 9 Oklahoma: The two-time reigning champs won’t make it a three-peat, but they won’t be eliminated in their first game, either.
• No. 12 Colorado State over No. 5 Memphis: Nique Clifford introduces himself on the national stage as the Tigers’ backcourt injuries do them in.
• No. 4 Maryland over No. 13 Grand Canyon: The Terrapins have too much size up front, too much shooting and too much defense.
• No. 11 Drake over No. 6 Missouri: The Tigers’ defense has gotten shredded over the past few weeks, and Bennett Stirtz joins the party.
• No. 3 Texas Tech over No. 14 UNC-Wilmington: The Red Raiders’ backcourt health is improving around Big 12 Player of the Year J.T. Toppin.
• No. 10 Arkansas over No. 7 Kansas: The Jayhawks’ season of not living up to their preseason No. 1 ranking ends quietly.
• No. 2 St. John’s over No. 15 Omaha: The Johnnies’ overwhelming defense powers them to their first appearance in the second round since 2015.

Second round

South

• No. 1 Auburn over No. 9 Creighton: Johni Broome vs. Kalkbrenner is a heavyweight fight, but the Tigers are too deep and have too many other ways to win.
• No. 13 Yale over No. 5 Michigan: Cinderella resides in New Haven, Conn.
• No. 6 Ole Miss over No. 3 Iowa State: Jaemyn Brakefield and Malik Dia are so versatile, and the Rebels’ veteran backcourt won’t beat itself.
• No. 2 Michigan State over No. 7 Marquette: Tom Izzo’s bunch has plenty of options to defend Jones and enough firepower to win a shootout if needed.

East

• No. 1 Duke over No. 9 Baylor: The Bears don’t have the size on the wing or inside, and even if they did Duke is simply the better team on both ends.
• No. 5 Oregon over No. 4 Arizona: Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle form one of the more underrated point guard-center combinations in the country.
• No. 3 Wisconsin over No. 11 VCU: John Tonje — somehow still in college — powers the Badgers in this one.
• No. 2 Alabama over No. 7 Saint Mary’s: Sears continues his second straight tear through March.

Midwest

• No. 1 Houston over No. 8 Gonzaga: I really, really want to go with Gonzaga here, but Houston is just too good offensively, with L.J. Cryer playing a big part.
• No. 5 Clemson over No. 4 Purdue: Chase Hunter provides the guard play the Tigers need, yes, but it’s Viktor Lakhin who dominates on the glass to lead the way.
• No. 3 Kentucky over No. 11 Xavier: This one’s going to be high-scoring, and Lamont Butler, battling through a shoulder injury all season, plays hero.
• No. 2 Tennessee over No. 7 UCLA: The Bruins can’t keep up with Chaz Lanier.

West

• No. 1 Florida over No. 8 UConn: Danny Hurley can put together a terrific gameplan, but his team can’t keep pace with Walter Clayton Jr. and an outstanding front line.
• No. 4 Maryland over No. 12 Colorado State: Derik Queen and Julian Reese cause major problems for the Rams.
• No. 3 Texas Tech over No. 11 Drake: The Red Raiders’ multifaceted offense just has too many ways to take advantage, especially beyond the arc.
• No. 2 St. John’s over No. 10 Arkansas: The Johnnies’ wing length, plus the tireless Zuby Ejiofor, get it done over the inconsistent Razorbacks.

NCAA bracket 2025: Ranking every March Madness tournament first-round game from No. 1 to No. 32

Sweet 16

South

• No. 1 Auburn over No. 13 Yale: The Tigers get revenge for last year’s loss to the Bulldogs, with Broome too much to handle down low.
• No. 2 Michigan State over No. 6 Ole Miss: The Rebels’ mini run ends here thanks to some big buckets down the stretch from Tre Holloman.

East

• No. 1 Duke over No. 5 Oregon: This is where Cooper Flagg shows just how good he is, but more importantly where Tyrese Proctor shows just how much he’s grown.
• No. 2 Alabama over No. 3 Wisconsin: Grant Nelson (March version) shines on both ends, and the Badgers can’t contain his inside-out exploits.

Midwest

• No. 1 Houston over No. 5 Clemson: In a simple math problem, the Cougars make too many 3s for the Tigers to keep up.
• No. 2 Tennessee over No. 3 Kentucky: The Wildcats swept the Volunteers in the regular season, but in the most important meeting, a sterling defensive effort gives the Volunteers the win.

West

• No. 1 Florida over No. 4 Maryland: The Gators just do too much too well, and that includes their deep frontcourt limiting Queen and Reese.
• No. 3 Texas Tech over No. 2 St. John’s: In another simple math problem, the Red Raiders’ 3-point abilities push them past the Johnnies.

Elite Eight

South

East

• No. 1 Duke over No. 2 Alabama: The Blue Devils’ offense generates so many good looks and can hang with the Crimson Tide in transition.

Midwest

• No. 1 Houston over No. 2 Tennessee: In a battle of two of the nation’s toughest teams, the Cougars simply have more firepower.

West

• No. 1 Florida over No. 3 Texas Tech: The Gators have ample bodies to limit Toppin, and Clayton Jr. leads a relentless offensive siege.

Final Four

• No. 1 Florida over No. 1 Auburn: I simply love how the Gators can play any type of game, with any type of personnel, and feel completely comfortable in every aspect.
• No. 1 Houston over No. 1 Duke: Guards win in March, and Houston’s stable of guards might be Kelvin Sampson’s most talented yet.

 Championship

• No. 1 Florida over No. 1 Houston: The Gators have every tool — guard play, experience, versatility, NBA talent, physicality and 3-point shooting — to beat anyone, and once again, they do.